


Black as Death

by SinceriouslyAmellPadalecki



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-12 19:20:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5677690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinceriouslyAmellPadalecki/pseuds/SinceriouslyAmellPadalecki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is set in several chapters. Character's listed are not in all the chapter's.<br/>Based on the tv show Supernatural, festuring original characters from the show, and two original characters of my creation. Is kinda cannon to she show, kinda not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Love for Angels

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are speech. Anything in bold is important.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREQUEL!!!
> 
> "No Love for Angels" tells the story of how Astriel came to be on Earth.  
> Also sets up the story for a few other Characters.

Astriel came to being when the earth had just been created, and was only a few years old. As she grew, she saw the earth grow and develop. Her siblings didn't share her fascination with the planet, it was just a lump of rock to them. They had other things top be concerned about. Like Angels. Astriel didn't like Angels, more importantly she didn't like the four Archangels, the first of many said her Father. She found them annoying, they would argue and bicker, distracting Father from looking after the Earth. Earth was precious, and if unattended, would go to ruin. Astriel didn't like the fact that the Archangels got to create things to go on Earth, although the one Archangel's creature was cute, it had this funny shaped head. The day that Father sent one of his Archangels down to the dark place, Astriel danced with glee. Her glee was short lived, as Father disappeared the next day, and things started to go wrong.

Heaven was constructed as one big placed originally, but Father in the end created individual heavens. These came into being when one of his 'humans' died, and their soul came to Heaven's Gates. At first, Astriel didn't mind the human souls being in heaven, as the found joy in visiting their individual heavens, and seeing the world through their eyes. But after years had passed, it got to her. Part of Astriel's job, was to choose who may die in battle, and who may live. She watched these humans live their lives on earth, and had seen their battles. She didn't like sentencing some to death, only to spare others. Who was she to judge what was righteous, and what wasn't? Father was missing, and her siblings weren't helpful. Astriel loved Father, but she just wished he was there to help her.

When Father had gone missing, at first Heaven was okay. But after a while, after several years had gone by, things had started to awry. Lucifer, one of the four Archangels was down in the Dark Place, Astriel didn't like the term Hell. That left Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. Gabriel was always playing tricks on the Valkyrie's and the lower stationed Angels, and would have been cute if he wasn't so annoying. Raphael was always studying, and was rather boring. Michael was powerful, so he had taken charge of Heaven when Father had disappeared. Michael was also rather bossy, and kept a constant eye on what the Valkyrie's were doing. Astriel always felt wary around Michael, she didn't want him to kick her out of Heaven. Things weren't bad under Michael, but they weren't good either. The day Michael disappeared, Astriel did another dance of glee. Again it was short lived, as it appeared that both Michael and Lucifer had taken human hosts, and were causing chaos on earth. Astriel neglected her duties during this time, and she wept for the poor humans, they did not deserve to be pawns in the war between the two Archangel's. Astriel cried when she watched the Archangels fall into the Cage, but these were tears of happiness. Although she knew the Cage was a bad place; she'd never seen it, but she knew of it from other Valkyrie's and the talk of Angels; she knew that the Cage would at least spare the humans from anymore of the Archangel's bickering.

Heaven had no leader again, and nobody knew what to do. Gabriel had disappeared, in fact no body had seen him inn a long while. Nobody seemed to know what to do, and there was this void in time, where things seemed to stop. Astriel wanted Father back desperately then, she didn't like not knowing things. It didn't take long before the last Archangel remaining in heaven, Raphael to step forward as leader. Mr Boring was going to lead, you almost wanted to commit Hari Kari. But then, a fairly young angel; who had been promoted to Seraph for unknown reasons to Astriel; was pushed forward to be in charge of heaven. And it seemed he had quite a following. His name was Castiel.

There was something about Castiel, that instantly made Astriel feel peculiar. She wasn't sure what it was, but whenever someone mentioned his name, she excused herself, and took herself off to another part of heaven. She had seen Castiel on earth many a time, and seen all the good, and all the bad he had done. He had disobeyed Father's orders, had already died twice, and had been seen with the Demon that was currently in charge of the Dark Place. Castiel was a Seraph as well, and Astriel had always found the Seraphim's obnoxious and up themselves. She would use the word Pretentious to describe them. Astriel watched from afar; well as far she could get with out leaving heaven; the Archangel and the Seraph battle it out for the leadership of heaven. As much as Castiel made her feel peculiar, Astriel did not want the Archangel Raphael to lead heaven. Also, Castiel seemed to have more of a popular following than Raphael, and he seemed to be the favoured choice to lead heaven. It wasn't until the Valkyries were dragged into the battle, that Astriel truly felt that heaven had gone to pot after Father had upped and vanished. Raphael was using his power as an Archangel to make the Valkyries fight the supporters of the Seraph Castiel. Astriel wanted no part of the fighting, yet she knew it was her role, after all, Father had made the Valkyries to be heaven's warriors. She fought along with her sisters, even though she knew that even her sisters agreed with her this time, fighting wasn't going to bring back order to heaven.

Astriel fought with the best of them; her sisters; yet she watched them all fall, she watched every last one of them die. Castiel also watches as some of his Father's greatest creation died in a battle that could have been prevented, if only Raphael relented his claim to lead heaven. Castiel watched as all but a few Valkyrie were remaining. His heart broke at all the deaths, and wept for the one he had grown to be fond of. He didn't see Astriel walk away from the field battle, walk away from heaven. Astriel was fed up of the 'righteous winged A hole' telling her what to do, and she wanted out. So she simply walked away, and didn't look back.


	2. And so the journey begins.

Astriel had fought with the best of them, yet she watched them all fall, she watched every last one of them die. So she walked away. She was fed up of the 'righteous winged A holes' telling her what to do, and she wanted out. So she simply walked away, and didn't look back. Astriel left the place she had grown up in, the place she had once called home, and made a new life for herself, in a place called Bozeman Montana. It was a place that was friendly, a place that seemed to welcome her with open arms. Nobody questioned her about her past, everybody seemed to be fine with the flame haired beauty with the mysterious past. Astriel did change her name to Astris, she was living among humans, she had to act like one and have a human sounding name. Astris wasn't far from Astriel, but it was still a big enough change for Astriel to get used. Astris' life in Bozeman became what some people could only dream of, it was the 'apple pie' life. She had a steady job; one she had come to love; working as a mechanic, and she had finally managed to buy the flat above the garage (where she worked) from her boss. Life was easy, life was perfect. Well, that was until the day the urges came back. All day Astris found herself getting more and more agitated, pent up, and eventually she snapped at her boss, over the littlest of things. She immediately apologised, blaming it on coming down with a migraine, and took herself up to her flat. She tried to lay down on her bed, but her whole body felt like it was on fire. She tried to ignore how she was feeling, but Astris eventually caved. Running out her flat, grabbing her keys as she went, she went to her car knowing what she had to do.

That first hunt wasn't neat, wasn't clean, it was messy, all guts and gore. But it was what Astris needed, it was the only way she know how to pacify her urges. This wasn't a normal hunt either, her kill hadn't been Bambi or Baloo. Astris had gone out to hunt the things that went bump in the night. She knew the risks associated with hunting the supernatural, the chance of being discovered and tortured or killed. But the thrill she gotten had overridden that fear, and she knew that she would hunt again. And she did. Astris never went for hunts that were too difficult, she didn't want to draw too much attention. Her favourite hunts were the simple salt and burns, the in and outs in just a few hours. Astris always chose hunts within a days travel by her Harley or Chevy, she didn't like being away from her flat for too long.

It was on one of her hunts that Astris met Garth. Garth was a gangly looking kid, skinny all over with a permanent goofy grin on his face. He was also a lycanthrope. Astris had almost killed him whilst hunting down a rogue werewolf, she had mistaken Garth for the actual wolfy. She had missed shooting him in the head by only a few inches. Garth had promptly surrendered himself and explained he was one of the good guys. It took a bit of explaining, but Astris eventually believed him, and even let him the pleasure of killing the wolfy. They stayed in touch after that hunt, and it was Garth that Astris always rang whenever she felt the urge to hunt. Garth never seemed to question why she wasn't always hunting, and Astris liked it that way. It was after Astris had not long finished her latest hunt, and was heading back home on beloved Harley that she got the call from Garth about a possible case in Lebanon Kansas.

Astris was riding her bike when she felt her pocket vibrate. She ignored it, but when the vibration continued, she knew she had to answer it. There were only two people who had her cell number, her boss and Garth. And as she had let her boss know she would be out of town for a few days, she knew it had to be Garth. Flipping a switch on her helmet, she heard Garth's voice come flooding into her helmet headset.

_“Hey Tris, you safe to talk for a few minutes?”_

_“Just on the road heading home Garth. Gimme a sec to pull over so I can talk without this damn headset picking up static”_ , Astris replied, before pulling off the highway onto the side of the road. Dismounting the Harley, she walked a few steps away, keeping one eye firmly on her bike.

_“Okay, go for Tris. What can I do you for Garth?”_

_“Well I know you've just finished your hunt, and knowing you, you probably want to get home and back to work, but...”_ came Garth's voice, his voice pitching ever so slightly as he paused.

Astris sighed deeply, before speaking again. _“ Oh just spit it out Garth, I can clearly tell that something's up. What is it this time? Ghoul, Shifter, please tell it's not another damn Wendigo. I burnt my favourite shirt last time round!”_ Astris remembered that hunt, and her anger flared, she lost her favourite shirt due to that damn Wendigo. Garth was also right, she did want to get back home, and she didn't really feel like going on another hunt.

Garth cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed that Astris had picked up on his nervousness. They may have been friends, but somehow Astris still made Garth feel nervous and on edge. He decided to be truthful, what harm could being truthful do?

_"Well there's maybe a case in Lebanon Kansas. Before you say any thing about it being too far away, just hear me out. There's been reports of strange deaths happening in Lebanon. Three people have all died from heart attacks, yet all three were in prime fitness and health. What makes the deaths odd is...”_

Astris interrupted, her patience wearing very thin, _“Short version Garth.”_

_“I was getting there! As I said, all three were in prime health. What was odd, is that they all had been the doctor the day before they died. And apparently when questioned, the doctor said that they all though they were going mad. They had all seen a woman in their room before they went to sleep, and that this woman had the face of death. I know that it's not much to ...”_

_“I'll take the case. I'll go to Lebanon and investigate. I'll take the case Garth,”_ Astris blurted, interrupting Garth mid speech. Astris could feel her heart beating much too fast. She a very big inkling at what was causing the deaths, and if she was right, she knew she couldn't let another hunter take the case. Garth's voice brought her back out her thoughts, and Astris listened to the surprise in Garth's voice as he spoke.

_“Wow okay Tris. I was gunna get two other hunter's on it if you had said no, but if you are sure. Let me know if you need anything. Stay safe Tris.”_

_"I'm sure, and will do Garth. You stay safe too,”_ Astris replied, before hanging up the call. Still shaken up by what Garth had said, Astris walked back to her bike. Mounting it, she twisted the throttle and pulled back onto the highway. She had to get to Lebanon Kansas as quick as she could, she would ride all day and night if she had to, and break as many speed limits as possible if necessary. Astris didn't know it just yet, but the events in Lebanon Kansas would change her life forever.


	3. "You didn't see anything."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astris arrives in Lebanon Kansas.  
> The Winchester's recieve a phone call from a worried Garth.  
> Just what is going on with Astris?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are speech. Bold underlined is start and end of flash backs. Bold writing is something of importance.

The journey to Lebanon Kansas took just over tow days, and Astris didn't sleep at all for those two days. Copious amounts of coffee and endless supplies of energy bars kept her awake and going. Astris didn't stop hoping that she was wrong, hell she even prayed, yet she knew going to Lebanon was the right thing to do. If it was one of her brethren, then she was the only one who could stop it. Riding into Lebanon, Astris felt shattered, and despite wanting to crack on with the case, she knew she had to get some shut eye. Pulling into the nearest motel parking lot, Astris shut off her bike's engine, and leant back flat to stare up at the sky. Astris couldn't shake the feeling that she was heading into major trouble, and also that somewhere, her creator was having a good laugh at her expense. She took several several deep breaths before sitting back up, and finally taking in her surroundings. The motel wasn't the worst she'd been to, but it wasn't the best either. It would do though, so Astris dismounted her bike, grabbed her duffle from underneath her seat, and walked off across the car lot to the motel's office to get a room and get some much needed sleep.

** * Flash back to 2 days previous * **

Garth heard Astris hang up, and he flipped his phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket as he stared off into space. He couldn't help but not the way his friend had suddenly agreed to take the case, and he sure as hell didn't miss the tone of her voice either. There was an edge in her voice, one that wasn't normally there, and it had made him feel uneasy. Garth thought for a minute, before he pulled his phone back out his pocket. Flipping it open, he scrolled through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. Hesitating only briefly before pressing the call button, Garth let his thoughts go to Astris as the phone rang. Tris may hate him for what he was about to do, but she was only human, she wasn't an angel who could flick across the country in a blink of an eye. She'd have to drop everything to hunt him down, and he knew she wouldn't do that, he also knew that Tris would eventually calm down and forgive him. The phone had stopped ringing, and Garth didn't give the person on the other end chance to talk.

_“Tell me you are at the bunker, or at least near it &/or Lebanon.”_

_“And a howdy do to you too Wolf Boy. 'Hey Dean, hows it going?' 'Oh the usual Garth, hunting evil sons of bitches and then getting drunk. Hows things with you?' that's how you start a conversation dude. So tell me Wolf Boy, what's get your hackles all raised eh?”_

_“Oh err, sorry. Can we skip the pleasantries and you just answer my question Dean?”_

_“Woah there Garth, calm down a sec. It's Sam here, you are speaker. What can we help you with?”_

_“I'm calm okay, I'm calm. Well as calm as can be with knowing that my best friend is most likely going to want to hunt me down... err right, stop rambling Garth, get your head together. Where was I, oh yeah, I need a favour.”_

_“Garth man, just spill already. Something is obviously eating at ya. We're all ears buddy.”_

_“There's a case in Lebanon guys, in your home town no less. One of the best hunters I know, and one of my closest friends too, yeah I know you pride yourself on being the best dang hunters out there, but she is just as good as you, I might say even better, err yeah, where was I? Oh yeah, one of the best hunters I know has has said she'll take the case. I know she's more than capable of looking after herself...”_

_“Hmpphh we are going to ignore the fact you just called another hunter, a chick at that, better than us, and ask that ya spit it out already Wolf Boy.”_

_“Okay, okay, well there was just something 'off' about the way Tris agreed to take the case. One second she definitely sounded like that she wasn't going to take the case, and the next she was practically shouting down the phone that she'd take. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't concerned this much. Tris has become a great friend to me, and I don't wanna see her get hurt, or, erm well worse.”_

_“Aww you've been consuming too many hearts my friend, you're getting all sappy on us.”_

_“Ignore him Garth, I take it you are asking if we could check on this Tris hunter for you, maybe help her out with the hunt?”_

_“Yeah, only if you are at the bunker already or nearby. Don't wanna put you out or noth...”_

_“It's fine Garth. We aren't at the bunker, we've just finished up a case, and were planning to head back to home base any ways. We're about two days away, when did you speak to Astris?”_

_“Err, about two minutes before I called you guys. She was about a three day ride away from Lebanon, so you should get there before her.”_

_“Okay Garth, we'll head out now. We'll give you a call as soon as we reach Lebanon. Try not to worry, I'm sure this Tris hunter chick will be fine.”_

_“Yeah, I'm sure she'll be fine. I owe you one for doing this guys. Remember to call as soon as you get to Lebanon. I got another call coming in, so I speak to you in tow days time.”_

Garth ended the call and answered one of the phones that was ringing in front of him. He was still thinking about Tris, so he missed what the person was saying on the other end of the line. Sighing, he got the person to repeat what they had said, as he took down notes and promised to call back when he had information for them.

** * End of flashback. * **

Astris woke sometime during the afternoon, after having spent the morning face down on the bed, out for the count. She felt sore all over, but no longer tired. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, before finally sitting up and stretching out her muscles. She heard her joints crack, and she sighed. One thing she hated most, was that being more than the average human, she still suffered from every day human ailments, like stiff joints. Pushing herself up off the bed, Astris shimmied out her clothes, and walked into the en-suite bathroom and turned the shower on. The water pressure wasn't superb, but it was strong enough that it would soother her aching joints. Stepping under the water, Astris relaxed, letting the water flow over her and take away all her aches and pains. She felt her muscles relax, and she closed her eyes. Astris must have relaxed a little too much, as she suddenly heard a gasp come from behind her. Spinning round in the shower, see saw a cleaning lady standing in the bathroom doorway, one hand over her mouth, the other hand shaking as it pointed at her. Astris instantly tensed up, as she suddenly realised what the woman was staring at. Hastily stepping out the shower, Astris grabbed a towel and firmly wrapped it around her naked form. She took a step towards the cleaning lady, and the woman practically screamed. Running over to the woman, Astris put a finger to the woman's lips, before speaking.

_“You saw nothing. Nothing. You understand me? There's nothing to tell, as there was nothing to see. Nod your head if understand.”_

The cleaning lady nodded and Astris smiled. Stepping around the woman she walked back into the bedroom, and bending down to her clothes, grabbed a hundred dollars from her jeans pocket. Turning round she handed it to the cleaning lady, who had turned to watch Astris. The cleaning lady stared at the money for a second, before taking it and scurrying to the door. Just as she reached the door, Astris suddenly bolted to the door and placed a hand on her arm. The lady looked confused, but then she smiled, and Astris let her leave. As soon as the door had clicked shut, Astris slumped down the door. She was always careful, yet today somebody had caught her. Sighing deeply, she rose from the floor and walked back to the bed. What was done was done, and she just hoped that her counter measures would be sufficient to prevent any unwanted attention. Getting dressed in to a formal pant suit, Astris tied her hair up into a pony tail, and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She looked smart, and she would definitely get away with posing as a member of the FBI. Tucking her badge into her jacket pocket, she made sure none of her gear was on show, before leaving the room and locking the door behind her. Astris headed in the direction of the local cop shop, not noticing the two men sat across the road in a black 1967 Chevy Impala watching her. She didn't notice that as soon as she was safely out of sight, one of the men got out the car and made a phone call.


	4. Snooping just leads to questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys do some snooping.  
> Astris lies to Garth.  
> An unexpected visitor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics = speech. bold = important. Bold Underlined = Start/End of flash backs.

Astris' walk to the local cop shop didn't take long, and she headed straight toward the main desk, head up, fake credentials already out and in her hand. Astris was in no mood to dilly dally, or wait for the incredibly slow desk sargent to get off the phone. Tapping her nails impatiently, Astris scanned the station; it was fairly small for such a large town, and it looked like it was fairly understaffed too. Eventually the desk sargent got off the phone, and paid attention to Astris.

_“Can I help you?”_

_“Yes, my name is Special Agent Summers, and I am here about the deaths of three men. May I talk to somebody in charge?”_ Astris says, as she hold up the fake FBI credentials. The desk sargent doesn't even look at them, just nods her head, and then presses a button her phone and speaks into the mic.

_“Bill, there's a Special Agent at the desk here about the three heart attack victims. From the FBI.”_

Astris doesn't hear a response, but seconds later a door at the far end of the building opens, and a middle aged man with greying hair walks out and down towards her. Astris presumes this to be the Chief, and steps away from the desk towards the ever nearing officer. The Chief looked tired, over worked and under paid, and Astris actually felt sorry for him. She once had been in the same boat, and she sympathised. She smiled at the Chief as he reached her, and introduced herself, following him back to his office. Astris spent at least three hours at the station, she studied every detail or the coroners reports, the statements from the victim's doctors, friends and family. Astris left the station feeling certain that knew the cause of the deaths, and it was definitely not a simple heart attack. Astris silently cried as she walked back to her motel room, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad. Her heart was telling her one thing, but her head was telling her another. It was times like these that she actually missed her past, but it wasn't enough to make her go back. Astris wiped away tears from her eyes as she reached the motel parking lot, and reached into her pocket for her phone. She had a call to make, and it wasn't going to be an easy one. She was about to lie to her best friend.

Clearing her throat, Astris flipped open her phone, and hit the number one on her phone's keypad. Pressing the call button, she walked quickly across the motel parking lot and let herself into her motel room as the phone rang out. When the call was picked up, Astris took a deep breath, before putting on her best “I am telling the God's honest truth” voice and spoke into the phone.

_“Hey Garth, Sorry for not calling sooner. I know I said I would call as soon as I arrived in Lebanon, but I was exhausted. I pulled up in the first motel lot I came across and got a room so I could crash.”_

_“Tris!!! Finally, I started to get worried. Am sure glad that you rang, was just about going to ring you to see if you got there yet. Glad that you managed to get some rest, you must have drove through out the night to get to Lebanon so quick.”_

_“Garth my wolfy friend, I am fine. No need to worry about me. You know me, I'm as tough as they come.”_

_“I know Tris, but you know me. I worry. In other news, have you been able to check out the town yet? Seen anything, or anyone that might be the cause of the the three deaths?”_

_“I was just getting there Wolf Man. As far as I have seen, and from looking at the medical reports on the the three deaths, there is nothing screaming Supernatural Mumbo Jumbo. I've talked to the local police chief, and he says that it is just circumstantial that the three victims had the same hallucination the night before each of their deaths. I am going to stay tonight, just in case there's another death, but I really think there is nothing here.”_ Astris paused there, letting her words sink in. she felt horrible for lying to Garth, but there was no way she going to tell the truth about what was causing the deaths. That would mean things would get hella complicated. Garth had gone quiet, and she could hear his brain ticking over, even through the phone. Garth finally came back on the line, making Astris jump slightly.

_“Okay Tris. You know what you are doing, I trust your judgement. But if there is something there in Lebanon, and you need help researching it or hunting it, give me a call.”_

_“Sure thing Wolf Man. I'll give you a ring if anything changes my end. Speak soon Garth.”_ Astris disconnected the call, not letting Garth reply, and threw her phone at the wall. Watching it crash loudly against the wall, and fall onto the floor still intact, Astris let all her bottled up feelings come to the surface. She sobbed loudly, fat tears of pain, sorrow, regret and guilt rolling down her cheeks. She mad no move to wipe them away, she just sat there, sobbing, letting her tears soak into her monkey suit. It had been a long time, since Astris had cried so much, not since she thought she lost... Well she didn't even want to dare think about that. Astris sobbed for a good ten minutes, before she finally felt calm enough to get up and get out of her Fake FBI get up. Grabbing her comfiest jeans and a tank from her duffle, Astris stripped out her clothes, and changed into the jeans and tank top. Pulling her hair out from it's high pony, she shook it loose, and stepping into her boots, she grabbed her purse and headed out her motel room in search of the nearest bar. Alcohol never solved anything, but just for that night, Astris was sure gunna test that theory.

** * Roughly 3 hours before the same day * **

The brother's sat across the road from the motel parking lot, watching the lot carefully. They had pulled up about fifteen minutes ago, after already canvassing two other motels. It was Sam who had spotted the bike first, and they had sat in the car ever since watching the bike to see if its owner would appear. Garth had texted them the description of his hunter friend Astris' motorbike whilst they were heading to Lebanon, and they had kept an eye out for it. Dean was impressed, motorbikes weren't his thing, it was all about the cars for him, but this Astris hunter chick had good taste in wheels. The Harley Davidson was in pristine condition, and looked like it had just rolled off the factory floor. She obviously kept it well maintained. Dean had even commented that fact to Sam, who had just given him a Bitch face in return. Dean's focus went back to the parking lot then, and his eyes never strayed. Dean's jaw almost dropped when a flame haired woman stepped out of a motel room, and quickly glanced at the bike, before turning round to lock the motel door. Garth hadn't given the brother's Astris' description, just that of her bike, yet Dean was sure this was her. The woman had by this point turned back round, and was walking across the parking lot into town. Dean watched her go, until she was out of sight, and then he turned to see Sam step out of the car, phone already to his ear.

_“Garth it's Sam. We found her. What do you want us to do? Hang back or go introduce ourselves?”_

_“Hang back Sam. I know Astris, she won't react positively if you go introduce yourselves. She will think you are trying to poach her case. Let me contact her, and see how she is. Just keep an eye on her, and if you think she's in trouble, then you can do the hero thing, and introduce yourselves.”_

_“Sure Garth, no worries. Hang back for now, I'll let Dean know. Hey Dean, Garth said.. Oh shit, gotta go Garth. Call us later when you've heard from Astris.”_ Sam promptly finished his conversation, and then sprinted across the street to catch his brother up, who was already half way across the motel parking lot, heading straight towards Astris' motel room.

_“Dean, hold up! You can't go snooping around her room. Garth said to hang back, and just keep an eye on her. What if she comes back?”_

_“Relax Sammy, she was heading in the direction of the police station. She won't be back for a while. And it isn't snooping. Just 'keeping an eye on her' like Garth said. She won't even notice we've been here.”_

_“I don't really have a choice do I? You are going to do this, even if I say no.”_

_“You betcha! You coming or not?”_

_“Fine, but lets make this quick. I don't want any nosy neighbours spotting us and ringing the police.”_

Dean grinned, and carried on towards the female hunter's room. Slipping his lock picking kit out his jacket pocket, Dean bent down to the lock and got to work. Sam stood fiddling with his phone, blocking Dean from view. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Sam spun round to see his brother quickly push the door open and slide into the room quickly and quietly. Sam promptly followed his brother into the room, ad shut the door silently behind him. The room that Sam stepped in to was like any other motel room up and down the country. The room was bland and boring. Dean was standing by the bed, looking down at a duffle bag. Sam walked to his brother, and looked down at the bag. What he saw first of all was not surprising, it was the normal hunter stuff; holy water, silver bullets, various shot gun cartridges, a few hand guns, dead man's blood, and a nifty looking athame. What was off, was appeared to be an Angel Blade in the bag too. Sam looked up at his brother, who just shrugged, so he picked it up and looked at the blade more carefully. **It wasn't a typical Angel Blade.** It had a narrow handle, and there were clear indentations in the handle, like some one had gripped it with such force it left an imprint. The blade itself was also shinier than normal, and when Sam held it up to the light, he could make out some sort of script spiralling around the blade. Sam really wanted to take it and study it, but he knew he couldn't, so after looking at it for a few more minutes, he put it bag in the duffle, and motioned his brother to leave. Dean glared at him, but he put the bag back where he found it, and then making sure nothing was out of place in the room, followed his brother out the room. Neither of them said a word, as they slowly made the way back to the Impala. Both were puzzles as to what the blade actually was, yet neither were able to quite express what they were thinking. Once in the Impala, Dean looked at his brother, and the brother's shared a look. 'What the hell?!'

** * End of Flashback * **

Astris sat at the bar, a line of shots in front of her. These weren't her first ones. She had lost count on the sixth or seven round. She picked up a glass, and tipped its content straight down. She repeated this five more times, before stacking the glasses into a pyramid formation, and beckoning to the bartender. Astris wasn't drunk, and it was annoying her. The bartender came over to her, and Astris motioned to the shots. The bartender seemed to understand, but before he could move away, Astris stopped him.

_“Leave the bottle this time,”_ Astris ordered. The bar keep nodded, and hurried away to grab the bottle. Astris hadn't meant to have sounded bossy, but if it got her the bottle sooner, she wasn't going to complain. She was too busy watching the bar keep, that she didn't notice somebody slip onto the bar stool next to her. She didn't notice that the person had flame red hair, and had a smile on her face, like she found a long lost friend. Astris only looked round, when she felt a hand on her arm. Snapping round to tell whoever it was to piss off, she almost fell off her seat in shock. The mystery woman laughed, and beamed a mega watt smile.

_**“Long time no see, little Sister.”** _


	5. Kill or be killed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sisterly Love at it's finest.  
> Hannah and Castiel discuss the blade  
> It's kill or be killed

**_"Long time no see, little sister."_ **

 

_“I should kill you right here, right now. For your total lack of care and judgement. Tell me one reason why I shouldn't?” snarled Astris, as she swatted away from her arm._

_“Well it's good to see you too little one. Still the same feisty Astriel that I remember. As for killing me, you don't have your blade. I know that for a fact, as I would already be dead if you did have it. Can we just not talk little one?”_

_“I may not have my blade, but I can sure do some damage to you, big sister. The blade may be the only thing that can kill us, but we still hurt like everyone else. Want me to show you?”_ Astris growled, as she stood up from the bar, fists clenched. Unfurling one fist, she pulled a hundred out her purse, before grabbing the purse, the bottle of Jack that the bar keep had left for her, and stormed out the bar. Her anger was rising, and she battled internally to keep it a bay. She could her her sister; gahh even that word made her blood boil; following her out the bar, and Astris walked away from the bar, down a side alley before finally stopping and turning to face her past.

Astriel's sister stood ten paces away, watching her sister carefully, one hand on her hip, the other hanging at her side. She didn't want to fight, she had lost too many of her siblings, but if Astriel didn't calm down, she'd have no choice. Holding her hands up, she smiled at Astriel, as Astriel glared at her.

_“I don't want to fight you Astriel. You are my sister. Haven't we lost enough of our siblings already? Please just calm down. I'm not here to cause a fight. I just want to talk.”_

Astris had to laugh, she really did. The last time she saw any of her sister's, all they were doing was fighting. Okay they weren't fighting each other, but they were still fighting. It was just too funny that here was one of her sister's saying they didn't want to fight. Astris looked at her sister, and actually felt sympathy for her. After getting over her laughter fit, Astris took a step towards her sister; Afriel, Afriel was her sisters' name, how had she forgotten it?; and spoke calmly.

_“Afriel, how do you not realise that your actions here, in this town, would bring attention to yourself? You know the rules, know what Fa... You know what you have done is wrong. Yet here you are, in the open, for all to see. If you don't want to fight, then why garner attention to yourself? Surely you know your actions will have cause those upstairs to pay attention. Are you mad?”_

Afriel frowned, Astriel's words confusing her. Se had mentioned how she was breaking the rules, but here was Astriel, also breaking the rules. She was out in the open too, surely she knew that. As if her sister read her mind, Astriel spoke again.

_“Afriel, I'm here because of you. Your antics were noticed, by a hunter no less. I had to come. I had to make sure, make sure that nobody else got hurt. I came to prevent more deaths. But if I have to kill you, I will.”_

Afriel frowned again, and went to say something, when all of a sudden the lights in the street lamps burst, and a bright light appeared at the mouth of alleyway. Astriel was screaming at her to run, but Afriel pulled out her blade, and went into fight mode. A large shadow formed behind her, and her face went gaunt and hollow. Astriel dropped her purse and bottle of Jack, and sprinted towards her sister. Grabbing the blade, she twisted it towards her sister and plunged it into her heart. Astriel felt no remorse, she knew it was kill or be killed, but Afriel had been her sister, and there was no stronger bond than that of sisters. Letting go of the blade, Astriel lowered her sister's now lifeless body to the floor, as a bright red glow swept over the alleyway. The angel that had appeared had stopped in his tracks halfway down the alley way, and Astriel swear she recognised those eyes, as she grabbed her purse, before sprinting away from the angel and the body of her dead sister.

 

*** Twenty minutes earlier. ***

Castiel was in Heaven when he heard Dean calling to him. He had been with Hannah, discussing all thing Heavenly, and was deep in discussion. He ignored the calls first of all, the discussion was far too important to just up and abandon. But when the oldest Winchester mention a peculiar looking Angel Blade, Castiel made his apologies, and seconds later, was standing next to the Impala. Knocking on the open window, he spoke to eldest Winchester, who was sat staring across the road in the drivers seat.

_“Dean.”_

_“Jeez Cas, you've got to stop doing that. Call next time you decide to grace us with your presence. And what took you so long. I called for you several times.”_

_“I was with Hannah. In heaven. We were discussing matters of great importance. I couldn't just up and leave Dean. Can we get to the reason I am here. Show me this blade.”_

_“I can't Cas, we had to leave it there. Something like that would be noticeable if it went missing. Sammy can describe it for you though.”_

_“Alright, I'd rather see the blade, but if you couldn't take it. Sam if you could describe the blade for me.”_ Cas then poofed himself into the Impala, and listened to what the taller of the two Winchester's had to say. Castiel didn't say a word through out Sam talking, and as soon as he had finished, he poofed out the car back to heaven, leaving the brother's even more confused than they had already been.

Castiel went straight to Hannah, and told her everything Sam had said. Hannah was of the same mind as Castiel, she agreed that the blade was definitely that of Angel creation, but it was no ordinary angel blade. She suggested that the hunter who owned it had to be watched, and Castiel said he already planned to keep watch. After agreeing to give regular updates, Castiel poofed back to earth. He had only just landed, when all of his senses were on edge. He sensed another Heavenly being nearby. Following his senses lead him to the nearest bar. He went to enter, when he heard raised voices coming from a nearby alleyway. His wings unfurled by themselves, much to his confusion, and his Grace blew out all the lights in the street. Walking to the alleyway, he saw two women looking in his direction. He heard one of them scream, and he rushed forward. A sudden red glow came from one of the women, and he saw her fall to the floor, a blade in her chest. He haltered, waiting to see what would happen next. The other woman was knelt above her, and she looked up at where he stood in the alleyway, before grabbing her purse from off the floor and sprinting away. Castiel rushed to the fallen woman, and immediately recognised her true form. He also recognised the blade hilted deep in her chest. It was exactly like the one Sam had described. **It was a Angel Blade, a Warrior Blade to be precise, the blade of a Valkyrie.**


	6. Angels can cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel Cries  
> Astriel Cries  
> The Winchester's Cry  
> Hannah doesn't cry

Castiel knelt down to the body, and swiftly pulled the blade out. It felt foreign in his hands, unlike his own blade. He looked down at his hands, and couldn't help admire the detailing on the blade. Unlike Sam who had struggled to see the script that spiralled around the blade, Castiel saw the Enochian clear as day. Reading the words, Castiel felt tears start to slip down his face. By the time he finished reading, Castiel could barely breathe. Angels were not meant to feel, but here he was, feeling like his heart was being ripped out his chest. Memories from aeons ago in Heaven were playing in his head, and his heart broke a little bit more as each one played out. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath, when the memory of one of the worst days in heaven played out. Slowly standing, Castiel wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, before getting his phone out, and calling the Winchester's.

 

**_Meanwhile in another part of town..._ **

Astriel hadn't stopped sprinting until she was way past her motel. She had just killed her sister, in front of an Angel no less, and she had no idea what to do. She couldn't call Garth, that was for sure. Astriel felt more alone than she had ever felt in her life. Leaning against a large oak, she let herself cry. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, and her eyes stung, but Astriel made no move to wipe them away. This was her punishment, for being an idiot to think that her sisters behaviour hadn't gotten Heaven's attention. She stayed led up against the tree for several minutes, before finally pushing off the tree, and walking back towards her motel. She had to get out of town, there was no doubt about it. She needed her bike for that. Astriel was unaware that two hunters were waiting for her to get back to her motel room.

 

Castiel got off the phone with the Winchester's and looked at his surroundings. The alleyway was fairly dark, so a man vanishing into thin air with a body in his arms wasn't going to be noticeable. Bending down to the fallen Valkyrie, Castiel carefully scooped up the body into his arms, and poofed up to heaven. Angels looked on as Castiel carried the body through the corridors of Heaven, until he reached his destination. Laying the body down on a grassy verge in Valhalla, Castiel felt the presence of another Angel behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Hannah smiling sadly at him, and he simply nodded his head. There were no words, Heaven had lost something special, and it was just too much. Hannah watched Castiel silently for a minute, before turning and leaving him to his thoughts. As soon as Hannah left, Castiel let a tear slip from his eye, and then poofed himself away.

Sam and Dean were sat in the Impala across from the motel again, waiting for either Cas or the flame haired hunter to turn back up. Cas had rung, and from the conversation they had, they knew that something was terribly wrong. The angel had sounded choked up on the phone, and it had worried the brother's. Cas was normally so, well not in touch with his feelings. The angel being emotional was extremely worrying. Dean wanted to ring the angel, but as he never normally answered his phone, he put his phone away. Sam had fallen asleep in the front of the car, and was snoring ever so slightly. Dean watched his brother sleep, and almost missed Cas popping into existence in the back seat of the Impala. He looked dishevelled, and his eyes were red rimmed and no longer shined like they usually did.

_“Dean, I... I need to show you and Sam something.”_

Cas' voice was low, much lower than normal, and Dean swore he heard a tint of sadness in it. He didn't look directly at the angel, as he shoved Sam in the ribs, stirring his giant of a brother from his slumber. Sam bolted forward in his chair, and he looked at his brother with questioning eyes. Dean tilted his head back towards Cas, and Sammy turned round to face the angel, his eyes going wide as he took in the state of his friend.

_“Cas, what's wrong? You look, you look a mess.”_

Castiel musters a small smile, and runs his hand through his hair. He knows what he is about to do is necessary, and is going to leave the Winchester's with questions he can't fully answer, but he also knows just how much it will affect Sam and Dean. Leaning forward in between the brothers, he speaks quickly, before placing a hand on each of their fore heads and closing his eyes.

_“I will explain everything afterwards, just don't freak out.”_

 

** * Inside Castiel's Memories * **

The sounds of screams rang out across the vast plane, and there were blasts of red and white energy coming from every where. Blades clashed against blades, and bodies fell to the ground. Wings of all colours were flapping relentlessly, their owners trying to dodge other wings and blades. All of a sudden the screams stopped, and a voice bellowed **“Enough!”** Wings came to a stand still, and a deathly silence fell. A sudden rush of wind rolled through the plane, and eight Flame Haired visions stood in the middle of the plane. The voice spoke again, and all heads turned to look at the speaker.

_“Enough Raphael, can't you see what you have done? Would Father want this, would he want his creations to fight like this? The Valkyries are all but gone. Enough is enough.”_

Castiel stepped forward then, and everything faded to black.

** * Back to reality * **

 

Castiel removed his hands from the Winchester's foreheads, and leaned back into the seat of the car. He watched the brother's blink several times, before looking down at his hands. He could feel their eyes on him, yet he couldn't bring himself to look at them. Dean was the first to speak.

_“Cas, what in God's name just happened?!”_

_“My memories. I showed you a memory, a memory of one of the worst days of my existence. The day I saw one of my Father's creation practically wiped out. The day I saw my sou...”_ Cas didn't finish his sentence, as he started to cry. Sam and Dean didn't know what to do, they had never seen the angel cry before, and they felt helpless. The sound of the angel crying was too much, and the boys started to cry themselves. It was like they were feeling everything Cas felt, and they couldn't bear it. Tears rolled down their faces, and the sound of the Winchester's crying made Castiel look up from his hands. He put a hand on each of their shoulders, and the boys stopped crying. Cas wiped his eyes dry on his trench coat, and then talked. He talked about the war with Raphael in heaven, which the boys knew about, he talked about the Valkyries, and how they were Heaven's Warriors. He explained how the Valkyries had been made to fight, and although they were warrior's, his own supporters out numbered them, and they had almost been decimated. He left out how he had found his Soulmate, and then lost her, that was for another day. The boys listened, nodding every now and again, Dean struggling to take everything in. When Cas pulled out the Valkyrie blade, Sam gasped, and Cas stopped talking.

_“Cas, where'd you get that?”_

_“A Valkyrie was killed earlier, here in town. I pulled this out of her body. She was killed with own blade.”_

_If that's her blade, that must mean... Cas' in your memory, who were the Valkyries? What did they look like?”_ Dean blurted, a look of panic registering on his face. He had a feeling in his gut, and he hoped Cas would confirm it.

_“They take the form of humans, and were created with flame red hair. What's wrong Dean? Dean?!”_

Dean had bolted out the car before Cas had finished speaking, and was racing across the roar towards the motel. Sam and Cas shot out the car and after him, but were stopped in their tracks as a woman flew past them on a motorbike. The same woman Sam and Dean had been watching for Garth. The same woman who had flame red hair.


	7. Good Samaritan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astriel runs from Lebanon.  
> A helping hand from a Good Samaritan.

Astriel had managed to get back to her hotel room without anyone spotting her, and had gotten her stuff packed up and ready to go when she looked out her motel room window. She almost swore as she spotted a familiar figure sat in a black car parked across the road from the motel parking lot. It was the Angel from the alleyway. Astriel knew she had to get out there pronto, and she actually used her powers to transport herself to the motel's main office to leave her key behind, before running to her beloved bike. She didn't start the engine straight away, she just put her duffle in the storage space, and then sat and observed the Angel. He was talking to two other men in the car, and Astriel was tempted to listen in on their conversation. She didn't and instantly regretted it when the Angel pulled out Afriel's blade. That couldn't be good news for her, if he had the blade. Looking away from the car, Astriel ignited the engine, and doing a quick U – turn, was riding out the motel parking lot when she saw a man running towards her. Twisting the gas, she sped out the lot, breezing past the Angel and the second man from the car, who had followed the first man out the car into the road. Astriel didn't dare look back. 

Astriel rode for several hours, before exhaustion took a hold of her, and she pulled off the main rode, and halfway down an old farm track, before switching her bike off. Astriel sat and listened to the engine slowly go quiet, before she swung her leg across the bike and slipped down onto the floor into a sitting position. Taking several deep breaths, Astriel felt her heart finally slow down; it hadn't stopped racing since leaving Lebanon in a rush. She really wanted to ring Garth, there was something about him that always calmed Astriel down, but Garth was too good to be dragged into this. Looking up at the sky, Astriel took a long minute, before speaking.

_ “Father, if you are there, I need you. I really need you, I need your guidance now more than ever! I killed my own sister today, and I am pretty sure I have an Angel hunting me down. What do I do? I can't run forever, this Planet is only so big. I can't return to heaven either, the Valkyrie's are gone, and I most likely to be killed on my return. If you are there Father, show me a sign! Anything please, I beg of you! I can't do this by myself, I am not strong enough! Father, are you there???” _

Astriel sat there for several minutes, waiting for an answer, a sign, something, before she finally gave up, and let her head slump. She was unaware that she was being watched. Astriel heard the footsteps first, before she saw the feet. She didn't know what was weirder, that there were a pair of slippered feet standing next to her, or that somebody had walked up the farm track in slippers. Looking up at the owner of the slippered feet, Astriel saw a man with a scruffy beard, soft eyes, and severely mussed up hair looking down at her. He smiled down at her, and offered his hand. Astriel didn't know why, but she automatically reached up and grabbed it firmly. There was just something about the way his eyes looked that made Astriel trust this stranger completely. She let the slippered stranger help to her feet, and then went to speak, but he beat her to it.

_ “You look like you could do with some rest. I have a couch you can crash on for the night. I also have a shed where you can store your bike safely.” _

The stranger's voice had a lilt to it, and it reminded Astriel of home. Memories of Heaven in the early days started to fill her head, and she found herself lost for words, overcome with emotions, so she simply nodded. Letting go of the stranger's hand, she grabbed the handlebars of her bike, and started pushing it down the track, following her slippered companion. Her companion led her down the track, that meandered every now and again, for several minutes, before he finally stopped outside a small wooden building. Astriel halted in her tracks, as he opened a hidden door, and beckoned her forward. Astriel pushed the bike forward, and gasped as she entered through the door. The building was on old cow barn, and it had been converted into one open living space. The slippered stranger showed Astriel where to put her bike, then walked over to a large couch and promptly sat down. Astriel parked her bike, and slowly walked to the couch, and after pausing for a second, sat down at the opposite end to the stranger. Nobody said a word for several minutes, and eventually Astriel spoke.

_ “Who are you? And why are you being so kind to someone you don't know?” _

_ “I'm a good samaritan, that is all. I saw someone who looked like they could do with some help, and I simply offered it.” _

_ “A good samaritan, that's a bible story. It's one of my favourites actually. So good samaritan, do you do this regularly? Pick up those in need of help that is?” _

The good samaritan laughed at that, and Astriel found herself smiling. Laughter wasn't something she had heard in a while, and it was a joy to hear. She suddenly felt herself feeling incredibly tired, and her eyes slowly drifted closed. She tried to say something, but it came out in a mumble, and the next thing she knew, she was drifting asleep. The samaritan stood up then, and walking over to Astriel, he adjusted her position so she was led on the couch, and pulled a blanket over her. He bent down and whispered something in her ear, before standing up, turning around, and walking towards the door he came in from. Taking one last look before he crossed the threshold, the man smiled sadly at the sleeping Valkyrie, before stepping through the door and vanishing from sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of the Chapter. I just felt that the way I ended it was right, and anything else would seem like filler. Next Chapter will definitely make up for it, I promise.


	8. Wings shall fall, sparks shall fly...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winchesters  
> Garth  
> Astriel  
> Winchesters  
> Cas & Astriel  
> A kiss...

*** Flash back to earlier in the day in Lebanon ***

 

Castiel looked at Dean for answers, but the man was too busy cursing himself. It took Sam coughing loudly to get his attention. Dean looked up at his brother, and then at his best friend. “Shit,” he thought, “Cas will want answers. That I don't have right now. I need to call Garth. He'll have answers.” Dean goes to pull out his phone, but Sam puts his hand out, and stops him.

 _“Err Dean, care to explain what is going on to Cas and I? As right now I have no clue as to what the hell is happening.”_ Sam says, looking down at his brother with questioning eyes. Dean sighs, as he still doesn't know what to say, but nods his head and walks back to the Impala. Sam and Cas follow, this was obviously a conversation that Dean didn't want to have out in the middle of the road. Once seated back in the car, two set of eyes focused on to Dean, and he stared out the window for a second before turning to face Sam and Cas, and slowly spoke.

_“I know ya got questions, but I don't have all the answers. I'll tell ya what I do know. I know that Garth asked me and Sam here to keep an eye on one of his hunter friends; some chick called Astris; as he was worried about her. So that's what we do, we high tail it back to Lebanon to do just that. We checked out the place she was staying, and there was nothing out the ordinary, 'cept the weird looking Angel Blade. We leave it there, as not to raise any suspicions, and we contact you. You listen to Sammy's description of the thing, and then you vanish. Leaving us confused as hell. We head to a bar for a few drinks to try work out what on earth is going on, and then I get a call from you that you need to see us. So we head back to Baby, and wait for you. When you do show up Cas, you gives us some deep stuff to deal with, by taking us into your memories. That was one weird ass trip man! And then you pull out that blade. Things start to connect in my head, the dots are joining up. Your description of these Valkyries, or whatever you called them, fits the description of the hunter Garth had got us watching. She even has one of them fancy blades. You should know that Cas, Sammy here did describe it to you in vivid detail. This Astris hunter chick is clearly not who she says she is, that's why I bolted from the car. We need to find her, and if there is one person who will know how to, Garth will. So know that I have rambled on for what feels like ages, can we please call the Wolf Man?”_

Sam stared at his brother in shock for a second, before shaking himself out of it, and he reached for his phone, not noticing that Cas had vanished from the back seat of the car. Sam had just dialled Garth's number and could hear it ringing, when Cas poofed back into the car, with a very confused looking Garth with him, phone ringing out in his pocket. Both Winchester's jumped at the sight of the lycanthrope, but soon spun round to face him, talking at the same time.

_“Garth what can you tell us about Astris?_

_“Did you know that Astris wasn't human? Did you know she was a friggin' Angel??”_

Garth didn't know what was going on, and it showed all over his face. He was still in shock from being Cas emerging in his kitchen, grabbing hold of his arm, and transporting him to the Winchester's. He felt sick, and when the boys started talking at him, he had to open the door quick so he didn't puke in the car. When he pulled his head back in after several minutes had passed, the car was silent, the Angel was staring at him, and so was Sam and Dean. The brothers looked both grossed out, and also a little bit guilty. _“Too right they should feel guilty”_ , Garth thought, _“dragging me across country with no explanation. And then to literally bombard me with questions, nope, not on.”_

_“First of all Wolf Man, WE didn't drag you across the country at all. THAT was all Cas' doing. We were just going to ring you. Secondly there is an explanation, we just jumped the gun a bit. Sorry about that, but we really do need answers here Garth. And you are our best bet at getting them.”_

Garth looked puzzled for a sec, then realized his mistake. Chuckling, he looked at the eldest Winchester, before turning to the Angel sat beside him. Giving him a quick once over, he decided to trust him, so he turned back to the Winchester's and gave his best tooth grin before starting to talk.

_“Didn't realize I had said that out loud. That's my wolf brain for ya. So I'm presuming the reason I've been transported half way across the country by wings in the trench coat here, is something to do with Astris. What's she got herself muddled up in then? Has to be serious if an Angel of the lord is involved.”_

Dean looked at his brother and Cas, before looking back at Garth, and started to talk.

 

*** End of Flash Back ***

 

Astriel woke up in the barn with no recollection of how she got there. She vaguely remembered getting off her bike and calling out to Father, but after that, she had no memory. She thought maybe she banged her head and somebody took her in for the night, but there was no sign of any one else in the barn. Astriel took in her surroundings, and saw that her bike was in the barn with her. Sitting up, she found herself sat on a large sofa in the middle of an old barn, her bike stood up near the door. There was nothing else in the barn. Astriel looked around in puzzlement for a few seconds, before she decided that she needed to get up and get going. Walking over to her bike, Astriel started to feel peculiar, and she felt her legs go weak. She was almost at her bike when she collapsed to the floor, her head pounding with a great ringing sound.

 

*** Flash back to the previous evening in Lebanon ***

 

Garth had sat there in the back of the Chevy listening to what Sam, Dean and the Angel Castiel had to say, and then answered all their questions. He was still trying to get his head round that his best friend, was a, to use Deans term, 'a friggin' Valkyrie', a Warrior Angel from Heaven. How had he not known that? Garth had persuaded the boys that they needed to come up with a plan of action if they were going to find Tris. Garth refused to call her anything but the name he knew her as, not until she confirmed her identity to him herself, in person. So that's why the brother's were sat in the bunker's library with Cas discussing plans whilst Garth watched on. His initial reaction was just to call Tris, but the boys said that was a bad idea. They confiscated his phone, and said he wouldn't have it back until after the found Tris. Dean was especially adamant, and he kept a watchful eye on Garth the whole trip back to the bunker.

It was Garth who noticed the changes in Castiel first. He noticed the way he seemed to be in another place, his eyes glazed over like he was in a trance. It was weird to see, the angel looking so out of it, especially to Garth. Garth watched through out the evening, as Cas seemed to get worse, like something was distracting him, and he waited for one of the Chuckle Brother's to make a a comment. But apparently, they didn't notice, it was only Garth who saw the way Cas was acting. Maybe he was imagining it, but then Cas just vanished, causing Sam and Dean to shout in surprise. When the angel didn't come back within a few minutes, the brother's started to worry, and Garth went to speak. But before he could, a very confused looking Castiel appeared, causing the boys to once again to shout in surprise.

_“Cas man, stop doing that! Why'd you vanish on us like that? You need to give us warning!!”_

Cas looked at the Winchester's, then at Garth, who was watching from the sidelines, and then collapsed.

 

*** End of Flash Back ***

 

Astriel woke up on the floor, feeling like she had the worst hang over ever. Her head was pounding, and there was this incessant ringing sound in her ears. She could barely find the strength to stand up, but she did. She propped herself on her bike, and took several deep breaths. Once she had gained enough strength, she grabbed her bike and headed out the barn. Astriel didn't know why, but as she headed back down the old track, her head seemed to get a little bit clearer. Once back on the main road, she headed away from Lebanon, but within five minutes, she had to pull over. Her head felt like it was going to explain. Testing out a theory, she walked down the side of the road back towards Kansas. Every step nearer to the place she least wanted to be, her headed felt that tiny bit better. Astriel cursed loudly, whatever was waiting for her in Lebanon Kansas best not get her killed she thought, as she straddled her Harley again and pointed her baby in the opposite direction she wanted to go.

 

The Winchester's hadn't known how to react when Cas collapsed, especially when he didn't come round straight away. He didn't wake up all night. They had carried him to one of the empty rooms in the bunker, and then researched endlessly about Valkyries and Angels to try distract themselves. They were all asleep in the library . Draped across various chairs, when Cas charged in to the room in the morning. They startled awake, and just about managed to catch what Cas was spouting off as he ran up the main stairs in the bunker and out the door. Garth, Sam and Dean shot up ungracefully out their respective chairs and followed Cas out the door. What they saw when the got outside was the least thing they expected to see.

 

Astriel found herself sitting on her bike at the side of the road, next to what appeared to be just a grass verge. She had been drawn there, like some magnetic force, and as she got nearer and nearer, the ringing in her ears became less of a ringing sound, more of a thrumming, like that of beating wings. She was staring into space when she heard a crashing sound, and spinning round on her bike towards the noise, she saw a face she never thought she would see again in her lifetime.

_“Hello Astriel.”_

_“Castiel. How? What, what are you doing here?”_ breathed Astriel, as she stared into a set of eyes so blue, so clear, that they mirrored her own. Castiel was in Heaven, he wouldn't leave Heaven unless... No, there was no way Castiel was the cause of the thrumming in her head. Not possible. Astriel stared at the Seraph for several seconds, before finally noticing that they weren't alone.

 

Dean was the first to move, grabbing his knife from the strap around his ankle and stepping in front of Cas in a defensive manner. Sam soon followed, his own knife drawn whilst Garth just stood there in complete shock.

 _“We know what you are Astris, no wait it's Astriel isn't it”,_ snarled Dean, glaring at the woman in front of him. She hadn't said a word since he had drawn his weapon, just sat on her bike watching. He couldn't read her, and he was on edge. Astriel smiled, and pulled out a blade, her Valkyrie Warrior blade, and Dean instantly reacted. He ran at her and felt himself hit an invisible wall and fall onto the ground. He saw Garth, Cas and Sam run forward, and then blacked out.

The sky darkened as Astriel's wings unfurled, and Cas screamed at the Valkyrie to stop. But it was too late, she had unleashed her power, and she wouldn't listen. Cas did the only thing he could think of, and sprinted towards her, grabbing her wrist. Before she could react _**he kissed her**_ , and didn't stop until he felt the cold metal of her blade enter his body. White light shone out, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter isn't my best, and I apologise for that. But sometimes, it is just the way thhings happen. The way this chapter had to be told, it had to be messy, and jumbled. I didn't see it exactly like this in my head, but it works for me. and the ending, well, yeah, I ain't apologising for that. Not one little bit.


	9. Love, Sacrifice, Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chuck makes an appearance.  
> A decision has to be made.  
> A promise.  
> A death.

Astriel hadn't meant to stab the Angel, she had just reacted when he grabbed her wrist. The moment his skin made contact with hers, the thrumming in her head stopped. And then he kissed her, and sparks flew. It wasn't until she felt him gasp that she realised what she had done. Pulling the blade out of him, she grabbed him by the shoulder and vanished.

Castiel had felt the blade go into him, and knew that he was about to die, but instead of everything going white, everything went black, and he passed out. Astriel felt the angel go limp in her arms as she landed in the barn. She stuck her hand to the wound and a red glow emanated from the wound. As she healed the angel, she felt herself grow weak, and she lowered Castiel to the floor before falling to her knees and collapsing to the ground.

It was Castiel who woke first. He awoke to find himself in a garden, one filled with flowers of varying shades of blue, and the sound of bees buzzing around. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. He couldn't sense any thing but the bee's for miles around, and was about to stand, when he felt another presence suddenly appear. Looking around he saw Astriel, dressed all in white, slowly wake up and sit up, just a few yards away from him. She looked just as confused as he was, and he called out to her.

_“Astriel, where... where are we? I do not recognise this place, and I know earth very well.”_

_“Castiel? How? I don't know where we are, the last thing I remember, well, is I saved you from dying.”_

_“Why, why did you save me? I don't understand.”_

_“Because she never meant to hurt you. She would never hurt you.”_ a new voice said, from behind Castiel, causing Astriel to gasp, and Castiel to spin round. Standing behind him, was someone Castiel thought was dead, he should be dead. Chuck looked down at the angel, before stepping round him, and walking to stand by Astriel. He offered his hand, and helped the Valkyrie stand. Turning back to Castiel, he smiled, before speaking again.

_“Castiel, Astriel never meant to hurt you. But she did, and to save you, she drained her grace. If she goes back to earth, she will die, that is for certain. I can not restore her Grace, only you can. You have a decision to make. You can return to earth with Astriel, and watch her die at the hands of your friends...”_

_**“I won't let her die! I won't, Heaven has lost too many of her kind already. I won't let her die!”**_ interrupts Castiel, standing up in a blink of an eye. His eyes are glowing bright blue, his grace flowing through him like fire.

_“Then you must die. The only way to save her, is to return to earth alone, and let the blade that pierced you do so once again. Her grace will be restored, and she will live. You need to decide, Castiel, Astriel can't make the decision for you.”_

Astriel had listened to the man speak, and she let out a small sob when he said that Castiel must die to save her. She knew as soon as he had kissed her, that the blue eyed angel was her soulmate. It was the reason why she'd saved him after all, she had to save him. It explained everything, the way she felt around him when she had lived in Heaven, the way the sight of him outside the bunker made her heart skip a beat, the sparks she saw as he kissed her, the feeling of being home. Astriel wanted nothing more in the world to say it would be okay, but she knew she couldn't. It wasn't going to be alright, one of them had to die.

Castiel didn't know what to do, he was torn. Astriel was his soulmate, of that he was sure. He would do anything for her. But would he really die for her, so she could live. He felt hopeless, until he looked up at Astriel. He had heard her sob when Chuck said he must die to save her, but he had refused to look at her. Looking past Chuck towards his soulmate, Castiel made his decision.

 

Dean woke up to find himself led on one of the sofa's in the bunker's rec room. Seeing no sign of Garth or Sam, Dean got up to find out what had happened after he blacked out. His head still felt fuzzy, and when he stood, he swayed on the spot for a minute before finally coming to a stop and gaining his balance. Wandering through to the library, he found Sam and Garth in the middle of an argument, both standing as tall as they could, shouting at the top of their voices.

_“For the umpteenth time Sam, I didn't know she was an Angel!”_

_“Valkyrie, not Angel!! And she's your friend! How did you not know?? I thought she was your best friend Garth??”_

_“She is, was!!! Gahhh!!! But that doesn't mean she told me everything about herself!! You are also one of my closest friends, but I don't know everything about you Sam Winchester!!!”_

Dean hadn't wanted to interfere, the argument was funny to see. Seeing his brother and Garth arguing; both trying to be the tallest, loudest, the dominant one, was hilarious, as Sam was clearly the one who would end up winning. But Garth was getting redder and redder in the face, and Dean knew he was going to either pass out or combust if he carried on. Clearing his throat loudly, Dean watched as the argument came to an abrupt stop, and both Sam and Garth spun to face him. Their faces immediately went from anger to concern. Dean went to step forward and speak when a sudden thump at the top of the library stairs caused all three to look at each other with puzzled faces, before running to investigate.

 

Castiel had made his decision, and looking away from Astriel, he smiled sadly at Chuck, who nodded, reached out and touched his shoulder. Castiel landed with a thump in the bunker, landing on his side at the top of the library stairs. Moments later he heard the Winchester's and their lycanthrope friend Garth calling his name, and he felt strong arms lift him up off the floor and help him stand. Castiel looked up at the face of the man who helped him, and smiled, before promptly collapsing back down into the man's arms.

Sam had gotten to Cas first, and he helped him up off the floor, only to have him collapse back into his arms. He almost dropped the Angel in shock, but managed to recover himself quickly enough to carry him down the stairs and place him carefully into one of armchairs. He turned to his brother and Garth to speak, when Cas stirred, and shot up out of the chair and started pacing. Sam stepped back, and looked at his brother and then Garth, who seemed just as perplexed as to what was going on as he was. Cas stopped pacing, and finally looked at the brothers and Garth, before speaking.

_“I don't have time to explain, but I need you to trust me. Astriel did not mean to hurt me, she would never... We are soulmates, Astriel and I. I felt it the moment I kissed her. She saved me, but at a cost to her own life. If we had returned together, she was to die, at one of your hands. I know this because Chuck foresaw it. I was given a choice, my life or hers. I chose hers. I's rather die and see her live a long life, then live a life without her. I know this a lot for you to take in, but I need you to promise me that you won't try to find her, you won't seek revenge on her for my death. This is my choice. Can you promise me that?”_

Dean and Sam were clearly trying to take in everything Cas had just said, but Garth had already accepted everything that was said, and stepped forward and engulfed Cas in to a big hug. After a few seconds, he let go, and looked at Sam and Dean, nodding at them to do the same. Sam stepped forward next, and embraced the angel quickly,. Before pulling back and looking at his brother with questioning eyes. Sam couldn't read his brother's expression or body language, and he was worried what Dean was thinking. Cas obviously could sense Dean's thoughts, as he stepped towards the eldest Winchester, and spoke quietly.

_“Dean, I know. But Astriel is my soulmate, and I must do this. Promise me you won't go after her.”_

Dean looked at his best friend, the Angel who had pulled him from hell, the Angel who had become so important to him, and simply nodded. He was too choked up with emotion to talk, and he was trying not to break down in front of his brother and Garth. Castiel smiled sadly at Dean, and then vanished into thin air.

Astriel didn't want to die, but she couldn't let Castiel die either. She had watched as Castiel had made his decision, and saw him disappear when the stranger in front of her touched his shoulder. She grabbed the man's hand, and hoped that whatever power he had, would send her to the right place in time.

 

Castiel landed outside the bunker, and pulled out the blade. Looking down at the blade in his hands, he took a deep breath, and lifted it up ready to plunge it into him. Just as he swung the blade back down, he saw Astriel land a few feet to the side of him, yelling his name. The blade pierced through his clothing, into the exact same spot where Astriel had stabbed him, and then the world went black. Astriel screamed as Castiel fell to the ground dead, and she rushed to his side, falling to her knees cradling his lifeless body.

All three men heard the scream, and ran up the library stairs and out the bunker door as fast as they could. What they saw when they emerged outside was heartbreaking. Astriel was on her knees, sobbing into the body of the former angel. Dean wanted to be sick, and kill Astriel at the same time. He took a step towards the Valkyrie, causing her to look up. Her face was gaunt and hollow, skin pulled tight over her skull, eyes dark and as black as death. Dean reached for his angel blade, but remembering his promise, he simply stepped back.

Astriel looked at the man who were standing watching her, and then down at the lifeless body of her soulmate. She knew she had to leave, she wasn't welcome there. She was the reason that these men had just lost their angel friend. Carefully lowering the body to the ground, she rose from her knees, and turned away, letting her wings unfurl. Walking away, she heard a voice call her name, and looking round, she saw Garth looking at her with sad eyes.

_“You don't have to go. He would have wanted... Castiel would have wanted you to stay.”_

Astriel shook her head, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Taking one last look at Garth, she fluttered her wings, and vanished out of sight. She was never to be seen again by the Winchester's or by Garth, despite numerous attempts from Garth to find her. Astriel lived for many years to come, and when it was her turn to die, _**she died with Castiel's name on her lips.**_


End file.
